Mirror Image
by Feline Feral
Summary: A look into how X5494 got sent to PsyOps


Title: Mirror Image  
Disclaimer: I don't own any characters you recognize.  
Author: Rosalie (**felineferal**)  
Pairing: None  
Word Count: 1190  
Rating: Pg-13  
Warning: I don't think there are any.  
Spoilers: Pollo Loco and Designate This (minor ones for this ep)  
Author's notes: For **krazykipper** as part of the jamponyfic ficathon. Prompt I used was: _Alec and Ben have met before. Sometime pre-series._ Not exactly pre-series but I hope you like it all the same.  
Summary: A look into how X5-494 got sent to Psy-Ops

Mirror Image

X5-494 was in front of the mission committee standing tall and silent. It was the end of his last paired mission, after this – if the committee felt – he would be on his own; finally cleared for solo missions. The committee was frowning as they looked over the report. The mission had been a success only if you counted the fact that someone else had already killed the target.

X5's 494 and 396 had been sent to eliminate a man posing as a priest. The man was in fact part of an organization working closely with a group aiming to take Manticore down. Not that the committee actually thought they would succeed; they just wanted to be cautious.

494 and 396 had been sent to a small church outside of Lawrence, Kansas but the man was not there. Picking up a trail rather quickly 494 and 396 found the man in the woods not far from the church. Unfortunately…or not the man was dead but what was peculiar was what they found when they began to dispose of the body.

* * *

The man's neck was broken and all his teeth were missing. 396 found a barcode on the back of the dead man's neck and promptly called for reinforcements. The body was taken back to Manticore headquarters but not before both soldiers learned the barcode was that of X5-493. 

Instead of the mission being declared over 396 and 494 were sent scouting through the forest for any evidence to the killer or better yet to find the killer himself. What they found was a small cabin in an equally small clearing. Advancing forward cautiously the two X5's didn't make it far before they were crouching low behind bushes to avoid detection.

A man came bolting out of the cabin carrying nothing but a pistol and the smell of terror. Letting the man run past them the X5's paid more attention to what came out of the cabin after the man. Another man that looked identical to 494.

396 looked to 494 and the only warning he had before he was unceremoniously punched in the head and tossed out of the bush was a low growl. The man wearing his face turned his way and fired at 494 when he hit the ground.

494 barely managed to doge the bullets coming at him to get close enough to dislodge the gun. Tossing the gun aside 494 punched the other man in the face, following it quickly by a kick to the gut. The fight that ensued didn't last long and the unknown male had 494 pinned to the ground, another gun in his face.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

"X5-494!" 494 barked in reply when the gun's safety was taken off.

The man growled, "Fucking Manticore."

494 was confused, "Who are you?" he asked before reversing their position, the gun once again lost.

"My name's Ben," the man ground out.

During the flip 494 had seen a barcode on the man's neck and thanks to photographic memory could identify it as 493's. "You're X5-493."

'Ben' growled and head-butted 494 before holding him in a head-lock, "Not anymore."

"You killed that man," 494 stated.

Ben let out a rough laugh, "Wasn't that what you were going to do anyway?"

396 took this moment to come out from behind the bush. 494 and Ben were to busy to notice when 396 picked up both of the guns and pointed them at both men.

They only stopped when they heard the sound of the safety being taken off. "You helped him didn't you?" 396 looked accusingly at 494.

494 elbowed Ben in the nose and broke free from the head-lock, "Why the hell would I do that?"

"Because you're twins," 396 stated this like it explained everything.

Ben interjected before 494 could, "What does that have to do with anything? We're not even real twins; they probably cloned him from some of my DNA. 'Cause he certainly wasn't around when I was at Manticore."

494 glared at his counter-part before looking back to 396, "We should radio headquarters and bring him in with us."

396 shook his head, "I was thinking of shooting you both. Then I'm guaranteed my own solo mission."

494 snorted, "Like that'll ever happen."

Before anyone could reply Ben shot to his feet, bringing an arm around to knock one of the guns out of 396's hands. Grabbing the other arm Ben twisted, sending 396 to the ground. Booting him in the gut Ben turned to 494.

With a wicked smile he said, "It's up to you hotshot. I can let him go or I can finish him. Either way he's gonna cause trouble."

494 stood up, "Why would I want you to kill him? What would that get me?"

Ben kicked 396 again and frowned, "So they found a way to brainwash you lot more…I kill him and you can go free. We both can."

"Why would I want to be free? I'm not a hostage."

396 took this pause to try and make a break for it. Ben snapped his neck before he could get very far. 494 move into a defensive position but made no move to attack.

Ben looked at him, "What you going to kill me now?"

494 never got a chance to reply, both he and Ben heard movement and voices coming from one side of the clearing. Ben turned to 494 and spoke, "Sorry kid but I'm not going back there and I've got prey that's escaping," with that he decked 494 hard in the face and took off in the opposite direction; gone before 494 could hit the ground.

The team that entered the clearing only moments later saw nothing but the two bodies of the X5's – one dead and the other unconscious.

* * *

The committee stood and X5-494 snapped straighter than should ever be possible. 494 was aware of two other X5's moving in behind him but he stared straight ahead at the committee. 

"This mission was meant to see if you were prepared to go on solo missions. Do you understand that 494?" A tall, brooding sort of man asked.

"Yes, sir!"

"Instead of the results we were hoping for, X5-396 is dead and you have no explanation as to why. Furthermore, evidence has it that X5-493 – your genetic clone – is responsible for the death of not only your target but two other men. In light of this it is the decision of this committee that you not be cleared for solo missions."

X5-494's stoic look finally changed to one of worry when with a motion of a hand the two X5's behind him grabbed his arms and something was jabbed into his neck.

As his world began to fade to black 494 heard the head of the committee speak again. "X5-494 you will be sent to Psy-Ops to undergo intensive testing to determine if you share such psychotic tendencies as X5-493 and as such to be deemed a danger to this faculty or not. We will review this again in six months."

X5-494 heard nothing else…his world faded completely black.


End file.
